Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) has purchased nine electric mini-vans that will be used at Dublin and Cork airports as part of the company’s drive to lower its carbon footprint.

The DAA has bought nine electric Renault Kangoo mini-vans, which it believes will result in more than 200,000kg of CO2 savings over the lifetime of the vehicles.

According to Mary Coveney, the DAA’s head of sustainability, the move will make the company one of the largest electric fleet operators in the country.

She said the DAA would be expanding its electric fleet over the coming years.

The DAA had taken part in a programme supported by ESB ecars, which allowed it to test drive a Kangoo Z.E. mini-van for a month to check its capabilities.

“The trial helped us build confidence throughout the organisation that buying electric vehicles wasn’t just good for the environment, but also made sense from an operational perspective," said Coveney.

The electric vans will be used by DAA maintenance crews in both airside and landside locations, as well as staff from car park and terminal services departments, at its Cork and Dublin airports.